Weijun Hu

Function and solution structure of hainantoxin-I, a novel insect sodium channel inhibitor from the Chinese bird spider Selenocosmia hainana

Hainantoxin‐I is a novel peptide toxin, purified from the venom of the Chinese bird spider Selenocosmia hainana (=Ornithoctonus hainana). It includes 33 amino acid residues with a disulfide linkage of I–IV, II–V and III–VI, assigned by partial reduction and sequence analysis. Under two‐electrode voltage‐clamp conditions, hainantoxin‐I can block rNav1.2/β1 and the insect sodium channel para/tipE expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes with IC50 values of 68±6 μM and 4.3±0.3 μM respectively. The three‐dimensional solution structure of hainantoxin‐I belongs to the inhibitor cystine knot structural family determined by two‐dimensional 1H nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. Structural comparison of hainantoxin‐I with those of other toxins suggests that the combination of the charged residues and a vicinal hydrophobic patch should be responsible for ligand binding. This is the first report of an insect sodium channel blocker from spider venom and it provides useful information for the structure–function relationship studies of insect sodium channels.

Jingzhaotoxin-I, a Novel Spider Neurotoxin Preferentially Inhibiting Cardiac Sodium Channel Inactivation

Jingzhaotoxin-I (JZTX-I), a 33-residue polypeptide, is derived from the Chinese tarantula Chilobrachys jing-zhao venom based on its ability to evidently increase the strength and the rate of vertebrate heartbeats. The toxin has three disulfide bonds with the linkage of I-IV, II-V, and III-VI that is a typical pattern found in inhibitor cystine knot molecules. Its cDNA determined by rapid amplification of 3′- and 5′-cDNA ends encoded a 62-residue precursor with a small proregion of eight residues. Whole-cell configuration indicated that JZTX-I was a novel neurotoxin preferentially inhibiting cardiac sodium channel inactivation by binding to receptor site 3. Although JZTX-I also exhibits the interaction with channel isoforms expressing in mammalian and insect sensory neurons, its affinity for tetrodotoxin-resistant subtype in mammalian cardiac myocytes (IC50 = 31.6 nm) is ∼30-fold higher than that for tetrodotoxin-sensitive subtypes in latter tissues. Not affecting outward delay-rectified potassium channels expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium channels in mammal sensory neurons, JZTX-I hopefully represents a potent ligand to discriminate cardiac sodium channels from neuronal tetrodotoxin-resistant isoforms. Furthermore, different from any reported spider toxins, the toxin neither modifies the current-voltage relationships nor shifts the steady-state inactivation of sodium channels. Therefore, JZTX-I defines a new subclass of spider sodium channel toxins. JZTX-I is an α-like toxin first reported from spider venoms. The result provides an important witness for a convergent functional evolution between spider and other animal venoms.

Jingzhaotoxin-III, a Novel Spider Toxin Inhibiting Activation of Voltage-gated Sodium Channel in Rat Cardiac Myocytes

We have isolated a cardiotoxin, denoted jingzhaotoxin-III (JZTX-III), from the venom of the Chinese spider Chilobrachys jingzhao. The toxin contains 36 residues stabilized by three intracellular disulfide bridges (I-IV, II-V, and III-VI), assigned by a chemical strategy of partial reduction and sequence analysis. Cloned and sequenced using 3′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends and 5′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends, the full-length cDNA encoded a 63-residue precursor of JZTX-III. Different from other spider peptides, it contains an uncommon endoproteolytic site (-X-Ser-) anterior to mature protein and the intervening regions of 5 residues, which is the smallest in spider toxin cDNAs identified to date. Under whole cell recording, JZTX-III showed no effects on voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) or calcium channels in dorsal root ganglion neurons, whereas it significantly inhibited tetrodotoxin-resistant VGSCs with an IC50 value of 0.38 μm in rat cardiac myocytes. Different from scorpion β-toxins, it caused a 10-mV depolarizing shift in the channel activation threshold. The binding site for JZTX-III on VGSCs is further suggested to be site 4 with a simple competitive assay, which at 10 μm eliminated the slowing currents induced by Buthus martensi Karsch I (BMK-I, scorpion α-like toxin) completely. JZTX-III shows higher selectivity for VGSC isoforms than other spider toxins affecting VGSCs, and the toxin hopefully represents an important ligand for discriminating cardiac VGSC subtype.

Isolation and characterization of hainantoxin-IV, a novel antagonist of tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium channels from the Chinese bird spider Selenocosmia hainana.

Abstract: A neurotoxin, named hainantoxin-IV, was purified from the venom of the spider Selenocosmia hainana. The amino acid sequence was determined by Edman degradation, revealing it to be a 35-residue polypeptide amidated at its C terminal and including three disulfide bridges: Cys2-Cys17, Cys9-Cys24, and Cys16-Cys31 assigned by partial reduction and sequence analysis. Hainantoxin-IV shares 80% sequence identity with huwentoxin-IV from the spider S. huwena, a potent antagonist that acts at site 1 on tetrodotoxin-sensitive (TTX-S) sodium channels, suggesting that hainantoxin-IV adopts an inhibitor cystine knot structural motif like huwentoin-IV. Under whole-cell voltage-clamp conditions, this toxin has no effect on tetrodotoxin-resistant voltage-gated sodium channels in adult rat dorsal root ganglion neurons, while it blocks TTX-S sodium channels in a manner similar to huwentoxin-IV, and the actions of both toxins on sodium currents are very similar to that of tetrodotoxin. Thus, they define a new family of spider toxins affecting sodium channels.

Function and solution structure of Huwentoxin-X, a specific blocker of N-type calcium channels, from the Chinese bird spider Ornithoctonus huwena

Huwentoxin-X (HWTX-X) is a novel peptide toxin, purified from the venom of the spider Ornithoctonus huwena. It comprises 28 amino acid residues including six cysteine residues as disulfide bridges linked in the pattern of I–IV, II—V, and III–VI. Its cDNA, determined by rapid amplification of 3′ and 5′ cDNA ends, encodes a 65-residue prepropeptide. HWTX-X shares low sequence homology with ω-conotoxins GVIA and MVIIA, two well known blockers of N-type Ca2+ channels. Nevertheless, whole cell studies indicate that it can block N-type Ca2+ channels in rat dorsal root ganglion cells (IC50 40 nm) and the blockage by HWTX-X is completely reversible. The rank order of specificity for N-type Ca2+ channels is GVIA ≈ HWTX-X > MVIIA. In contrast to GVIA and MVIIA, HWTX-X had no detectable effect on the twitch response of rat vas deferens to low frequency electrical stimulation, indicating that HWTX-X has different selectivity for isoforms of N-type Ca2+ channels, compared with GVIA or MVIIA. A comparison of the structures of HWTX-X and GVIA reveals that they not only adopt a common structural motif (inhibitor cystine knot), but also have a similar functional motif, a binding surface formed by the critical residue Tyr, and several basic residues. However, the dissimilarities of their binding surfaces provide some insights into their different selectivities for isoforms of N-type Ca2+ channels.

Structure and Function of Hainantoxin-III-a Selective Antagonist of Neuronal Tetrodotoxin-Sensitive Voltage-gated Sodium Channels Isolated from the Chinese Bird Spider Ornithoctonus hainana

Background: This study aimed to elucidate the structure and function of HNTX-III. Results: HNTX-III adopts the inhibitor cystine knot motif and inhibits Nav1.7 activation through binding to site 4 in the closed state. Conclusion: HNTX-III is distinct from other β-toxins in its action mechanism, specificity, and affinity. Significance: HNTX-III is a useful tool for studying toxin-VGSC interaction and a potential prototype analgesic. In the present study, we investigated the structure and function of hainantoxin-III (HNTX-III), a 33-residue polypeptide from the venom of the spider Ornithoctonus hainana. It is a selective antagonist of neuronal tetrodotoxin-sensitive voltage-gated sodium channels. HNTX-III suppressed Nav1.7 current amplitude without significantly altering the activation, inactivation, and repriming kinetics. Short extreme depolarizations partially activated the toxin-bound channel, indicating voltage-dependent inhibition of HNTX-III. HNTX-III increased the deactivation of the Nav1.7 current after extreme depolarizations. The HNTX-III·Nav1.7 complex was gradually dissociated upon prolonged strong depolarizations in a voltage-dependent manner, and the unbound toxin rebound to Nav1.7 after a long repolarization. Moreover, analysis of chimeric channels showed that the DIIS3-S4 linker was critical for HNTX-III binding to Nav1.7. These data are consistent with HNTX-III interacting with Nav1.7 site 4 and trapping the domain II voltage sensor in the closed state. The solution structure of HNTX-III was determined by two-dimensional NMR and shown to possess an inhibitor cystine knot motif. Structural analysis indicated that certain basic, hydrophobic, and aromatic residues mainly localized in the C terminus may constitute an amphiphilic surface potentially involved in HNTX-III binding to Nav1.7. Taken together, our results show that HNTX-III is distinct from β-scorpion toxins and other β-spider toxins in its mechanism of action and binding specificity and affinity. The present findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanism of toxin-sodium channel interaction and provide a useful tool for the investigation of the structure and function of sodium channel isoforms and for the development of analgesics.

A Novel Spider Peptide Toxin Suppresses Tumor Growth Through Dual Signaling Pathways

Spider venom is a large pharmacological repertoire containing many biologically active peptides, which may have a potent therapeutic implication. Here we investigated a peptide toxin, named lycosin-I, isolated from the venom of the spider Lycosa singoriensis. In contrast to most spider peptide toxins adopting inhibitor cystine knot (ICK) motif, lycosin-I shows a linear amphipathic alpha-helical conformation, common to α-helical host defense peptides. Lycosin-I displays strong ability to inhibit cancer cell growth in vitro and can effectively suppresses tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, it activates the mitochondrial death pathway to sensitize cancer cells for apoptosis, as well as up-regulates p27 to inhibit cell proliferation. Taken together, our results provide the first evidence that a spider toxin can effectively suppress tumorigenesis through activation of dual signaling pathways. In addition, lycosin-I may be a useful structural lead for the development of novel anticancer drugs.

ERK signaling pathway regulates embryonic survival and eye development in goldfish, Carassius auratus.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of tightly regulated, zinc-dependent proteases that degrade extracellular matrix (ECM), cell surface, and intracellular proteins. Vascular remodeling, whether as a function of normal physiology or as a consequence of a myriad of pathological processes, requires degradation of the ECM. Thus, the expression and activity of many MMPs are up-regulated in numerous conditions affecting the vasculature and often exacerbate vascular dysfunction. A growing body of evidence supports the rationale of using MMP inhibitors for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and chronic vascular dementia. This manuscript will examine promising targets for MMP inhibition in atherosclerosis and stroke, reviewing findings in preclinical animal models and human patient studies. Strategies for MMP inhibition have progressed beyond chelating the catalytic zinc to functional blocking antibodies and peptides that target either the active site or exosites of the enzyme. While the inhibition of MMP activity presents a rational therapeutic avenue, the multiplicity of roles for MMPs and the non-selective nature of MMP inhibitors that cause unintended side-effects hinder full realization of MMP inhibition as therapy for vascular disease. For optimal therapeutic effects to be realized, specific targets for MMP inhibition in these pathologies must first be identified and then attacked by potent and selective agents during the most appropriate timepoint.

p53 Directly Regulates αA- and βA3/A1-Crystallin Genes to Modulate Lens Differentiation

It is well established that the tumor suppressor p53 plays major roles in regulating apoptosis and cell cycle progression. In addition, recent studies have demonstrated that p53 is actively involved in regulating cell differentiation in muscle, the circulatory system and various carcinoma tissues. We have recently shown that p53 also controls lens differentiation. Regarding the mechanism, we reveal that p53 directly regulates c-Maf and Prox1, two important transcription factors to control cell differentiation in the ocular lens. In the present study, we present further evidence to show that p53 can regulate lens differentiation by controlling expression of the differentiation genes coding for the lens crystallins. First, the αA and βA3/A1 gene promoters or introns all contain putative p53 binding sites. Second, gel mobility shifting assays revealed that the p53 protein in nuclear extracts from lens epithelial cells directly binds to the p53 binding sites found in these crystallin gene promoters or introns. Third, exogenous wild type p53 induces dose-dependent expression of the luciferase reporter gene driven by different crystallin gene promoters and the exogenous dominant negative mutant p53 causes dose-dependent inhibition of the same crystallin genes. Fourth, ChIP assays revealed that p53 binds to crystallin gene promoters in vivo. Finally, in the p53 knockout mouse lenses, expression levels of various crystallins were found down-regulated in comparison with those from the wild type mouse lenses. Together, our results reveal that p53 directly regulates expression of different sets of genes to control lens differentiation.

PP-1α and PP-1γ display antagonism and differential roles in tumorigenicity of lung cancer cells.

Protein serine/threonine phosphatases are important cellular signaling molecules and play major roles in regulating many different functions including cell proliferation, senescence, programmed cell death, and oncogenic cell transformation. Among different serine/threonine phosphatases, PP-1 and PP-2A contribute to more than 90% phosphatase activities in eukaryotes. While the functions of PP-2A in cell transformation and tumorigenesis have been well established, the role of PP-1 in carcinogenesis remains to be further explored. Moreover, PP-1 exists in different isoforms, whether these isoforms have differential functions in tumorigenesis remains to be examined. In the present study, we demonstrated that in lung cancer 1299 cells, PP1α and PP- 1 & γ exist in an antagonizing balance. In the parent H1299 cells, PP-1γ is dominant, about 4-fold higher than that of PP-1α. Overexpression of PP-1α significantly down-regulates PP-1γ at both mRNA and protein levels. In contrast, knockdown of PP-1α leads to upregulation of PP-1γ. Moreover, overexpression of PP-1α significantly attenuates the ability of the H1299 cells in promoting tumorigenicity as tested in immuno-deficient nude mice. This attenuation is derived from the halted cell cycle progression, which is largely attributed by the changed RB-E2F activity. Together, our results demonstrate that PP-1α and PP-1γ not only antagonize each other in lung cancer cells, but also display differential functions in tumorigenicity.